Parent-teacher conferences scheduled There will be no school Monday for Portales High School students. Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. in the PHS Cafeteria. All parents are welcome to to speak with their child’s teachers. Information: 356-7015. Second quarter begins PHS students have completed the first quarter of the 2008-2009 school year. The […]

By Helena Rodriguez, PNT Staff Writer Be smart! Read often! Exercise your mind! And learn a skill so you can support your family and your future! These were words of advice from retiring teacher JoBeth Massey to 14 Dora High School graduates on Sunday. Marching in to the tune of “Against the Wind,” the graduates, […]

By Janet Bresenham, Freedom New Mexico For most of Mara Mitchell Andrews’ 31 years of life, her father Gary has been working on researching and writing a comprehensive, practical study on prayer. Through the years, she watched as her father used a manual typewriter and made copies of his study, first for his doctoral dissertation […]

Name: Monica Nuckols Job: Second grade teacher at James Elementary Background: Nuckols has been teaching in the Portales Schools for 15 years, before teaching at James Elementary she taught at Valencia as a Title I reading and math teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree at Eastern New Mexico University in Education with an endorsement of […]

It’s not often that the classroom style of a high school teacher brings hundreds of people out in the rain to rallies, but that has been the result of a First Amendment lawsuit filed by a California high school student against longtime history teacher James Corbett. Sophomore Chad Farnan filed the suit, alleging that Corbett’s […]

By Casey Peacock: PNT Staff Writer Elvira Tisthammer is the art teacher at James Elementary School. “I’ve always liked art and I was just lucky to get this art position. I’m very fortunate.” Q. Who is your favorite artist? A. Georgia O’Keefe Q. What is your favorite book? A. I like anything by Pearl S […]

• Mrs Morris (Doris) Wood, was honored as Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Portales Educators Association. She had been a fifth grade teacher at Steiner Elementary for 13 years. • According to the official weather equipment at Eastern New Mexico university, the first freeze of the 1970 Winter season was recorded. Temperatures plummeted […]

Tonya Fennell School progress reports should come with a disclaimer. This report is not a good indication of your child’s actual grades should be printed in bold 30 point font at the very top of the page. Last week my son, Riley, brought home his first junior high progress report. I unfolded the progress report […]

By Joan Clayton: Religion Columnist I feel a tug at my heart. By this time, I would have all my bulletin boards up, all my students’ names on the desks, all my lessons planned and would have prayed for a successful year. Why do I miss teaching school so much? I miss those little shiny […]

By Casey Peacock: PNT Staff Writer Nationally-known speaker Michele Borba will be in Portales on Friday to present a seminar to school officials, teachers, staff, administration and community members. A motivational speaker, Borba will present a talk on Building Moral Intelligence, Part II, beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Portales High School Library, said Trina […]

By Helena Rodriguez, Freedom Newspapers After three decades of educating children in New Mexico and Texas classrooms, Ida Villanueva is now worried about flunking — flunking retirement that is. Villanueva, of Portales, recently retired from a teaching career that has spanned 30 years and taken her from her first position as a teacher aide in […]

By Casey Peacock: Freedom Newspapers With school ending, and teachers breathing a sigh of relief, the Portales News-Tribune took a few moments to ask area teachers about the past school year, as they prepared for a well-earned summer break. Sally Smith Third Grade Teacher James Elementary Q. What was the high point of your year? […]

By Casey Peacock: PNT Staff Writer James Elementary third grade teacher Maria Villanueva has been chosen as the Portales News-Tribune Newspapers in Education teacher of the year. “I just couldn’t believe that I was chosen. We have a lot of great teachers out there and it was a great honor to be chosen,” said Villanueva. […]

By Jennifer Essary: PNT Correspondent Upcoming events No classes Monday in observance of Labor Day. There will be school Friday. New faces Several new staff have been added at Floyd schools. They are: Third grade teacher Allana Essary; custodians Ramona Garcia and Mary Pimpsner; agriculture teacher Morgan Arguello; and business office secretary Crystal Smith. School […]

By Joan Clayton: Guest Columist This time of year is “bittersweet” for me. I see “Back to School” reminders everywhere. I feel a “tinge” of fall in the air and I remember those first days of school. New lunch boxes and crayons held in little hands walked into my classroom with eager expectations. Being a […]

By Bob Huber: Freedom Newspapers Columnist Some folks carry grudges all their lives. They don’t leave home without them. They’re just not happy unless they’re blasting governments, churches, school boards, or college football teams. They’re even against actors, neighbors, newspapers, television, lawyers, and relatives. But the weirdest resentment I ever saw belonged to my wife […]

By Bryant Million: PNT Staff Writer Sandy Belden will be a new kindergarten teacher at Brown Early Development Center in Portales this upcoming school year. Having taught first grade at La Casita Elementary School in Clovis for the past two years, Belden said she is looking forward to teaching at Brown. She and her family […]

By Tony Parra: PNT Staff Writer Those searching for a career in teaching and those looking for teachers said they benefited from attending the teacher fair at Eastern New Mexico University Tuesday. Students said the ENMU teacher fair helped future teachers get an idea of what’s available for new teachers in New Mexico and Texas. […]

By Helena Rodriguez: PNT Staff Writer Mark Gallegos strives to get students to learn using all modalities, which helped earned the Portales High government and economics teacher the Portales News-Tribune’s Newspapers in Education Teacher of the Year Award. A Freedom Newspapers of New Mexico committee determined Gallegos best utilizes newspapers in his classrooms to help […]